


Storm Rising

by aerascreamer



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blackwatch (Overwatch) - Freeform, Gen, Overwatch - Freeform, Overwatch References, Overwatch Retribution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 07:40:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18545296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerascreamer/pseuds/aerascreamer
Summary: Eight years ago, Talon attacked one of Overwatch's facilities. The team needed to respond. But their hands were tied... at least, not for everyone...You all know this story right ? You all know how Blackwatch managed to neutralize Antonio and the consequences of this action.But imagine if the end changed.Imagine if the extraction didn't go as well as expected.Imagine if all the Talon soldiers were deployed that night at the same place.Imagine what would be outcome... of a mission failed.





	Storm Rising

The cold moon rose in the clear horizon free of any cloud.  
The old buildings of Venice stood with pride under sky, their roof shining as if some frost covered them.  
Gondolas floated on the water with laziness, the stores were closed dark  and some crows wandered between the trash containers in the tiled streets, searching for some edible food.  
Step by step, the lights of most buildings went out like the flames blown by the north wind.  
The number of cars in the streets slowly decreased as the people came back to their house, deepening the silence.

However, in a large manor plunged in the twilight, an intense activity maintained the men awake.  
The shadows projected on the cold tiles looked like the branches of a dead tree, the heavy Italian pillars imitated the prison bars and dogs barked with anger in the distance.  
All was quite... too quite.

The world then seemed to hold its breath with apprehension, like the spectators until the last strike in an action film... until the moment   
a body got thrown in the air and broke a window into millions of sharp pieces.

Triggered by the movement, an alarm screamed as the four assailants looked up to the lamps shining like the crimson ember of a dying fire.

"Reyes, what did you do ?! This was NOT the plan!  
-Well, looks like we're going with plan B." Jesse sighted with frustration and drew his weapon as his boss and his two acolytes prepared for the battle.

"Well, well. Things are getting really interesting now." A small malicious smile appeared on the lips of the doctor O'deorian. The Blackwatch members ran in the middle of the large room.

"Looks like they've got this place sealed tight. Someone starts a breach on the front door. We need to get out of here before the whole base-"  
A door opened on the left side and twenty soldiers dressed up in black and red exit out of it.  
"What?! Already?"  
The opponents aimed at the intruders, ready to fire.

The noise of the gunshots rang in all the place.  
The doctor avoided the bullets and clipped her purple beam to drain the life of her enemies away as the commander and the gunslinger shot at them while the cyborg swiftly cut through their armor.  
Shortly after, the opponents were neutralized.

"Hmm... I supposed we could just wait here until we're inevitably overwhelmed by our attackers. Or I might suggest that someone begins breaching the door? Moira said as she looked to this one.  
-Point taken."  
Gabriel headed to the entrance and placed a bomb on it. It started to melt  the metal with a low buzzing.

"If you want something done right..."  
A new wave of troops broke through the ceiling, with even more people than before. The commander pointed his shotgun in their direction.  
"Then do it by yourself."  
With one dash, Genji sliced the throat of ten soldiers who collapsed in a pool of blood.

After some long and painful minutes fighting in a total mess, no more opponents were standing. Dust floated in the air, the furnitures were broken and the walls covered of bullet holes.  
The red-haired lady took off her cap as a drop of sweat hung on her forehead.  
My God she missed the fresh air of Ireland.

Out of breath, Jesse said sharply to his commander:  
"Did you even consider what was going to happen, before you pulled the trigger?  
-I made a decision, Gabriel responded firmly. I'll deal the consequences."  
He walked away, turning his back to the gunslinger.  
"Oh like getting the four of us killed?  
-That's not going to happen"  
In a loud explosion, the door finally broke.  
A red and heartless light shined cruelly above the doctor, the cyborg and the cowboy.

The cold air of the evening hit the face of the group. Romain arches and pillars adorned the facades of the houses all around.  
The lamps illuminate the path of stone with their head looking down, as if they were in mourning under the moon reaching its peak behind a wall of thick clouds.  
An unusual dark orange shade colored the surface of the satellite.

"Mmh? A lunar eclipse? But no media announced it..." Moira noticed. She took a deep breath, chasing the suffocating and warm feeling that oppressed her chest.

"Finally we're out, Genji declared. Patience is not my strong suit.  
-I suspect we'll find something to occupy your time,"the doctor taunted with a playful laugh.  
"So what do we do know boss? Jesse asked.  
-We get out of this room, then head through the city to the extraction point. After that, we sit tight and hope someone comes to pick us up, Gabriel answered as he checked a plan.  
-Quite a plan B ! Not sure why I was even worried, the cowboy mocked as he stared to the sky with annoyed eyes.

But a giant dropship arrived, its shadow darkening the whole street where the Blackwatch unit waited.  
A door opened... and a countless amount of man armed to the teeth jumped out of the vehicle.  
"Oh god...  
-Guess the extraction is going be harder than expected, Moira noted, biting her lips.

And the fight resumed.

It was a complete chaos, where all the shapes and colors melted into a blurry mist.  
Gunshots resounded constantly, screams pierced the ears and puddles of blood formed here and there on the ground.

And as the combats went on, the four intruders were separated.  
Moira sneaked behind an opponent. She locked her beam on him and started to take his energy away but three other soldiers shot at her.  
Avoiding the bullets like a snake, she focused her attention on the best way to end the fight.  
Go left to finish the tall one, back near the stairs to get the high ground, jump near of this pillar...

But she got suddenly stunned on the ground by a new enemy with a maniac laugh.  
"The assassin !"  
She immediately turned into a dark mist and ran away but end up bumping against a giant wall. Cornered between the infrastructure and the enemies, her self-assured expression slowly turned into distress.  
Merciless, the assassin unsheathed her scarlet blades attached to her arms and walked slowly in the direction on her prey.  
Even more clouds covered the sky, until the stars couldn't be seen.

***

Genji climbed on a balcony as swift as a lizard crawling away from its predator and hid in a closet.

"Impossible to kill all of the adversary, he thought. There's too much of them..."  
A loud buzzing informed the ninja the arriving of a new vessel.

"And there's always more of them. Did they send their whole army here ? And I'm going to run out of ammo...", he noted as he checked his shurikens. He entered inside the small house, hoping to find anything useful.  
But only everyday life stuff stood on the table in the living room or the kitchen.

However, as he checked the rest of the place, he found a small door in the cellar, opening on a dark alley.  
He decided to examine it and took a flashlight inside a drawer near by.

"Reyes, how's the extraction going ? a pilot ask in the communication device a few minutes later.  
-We're overwhelmed and stuck near of Antonio's mansion, Jesse informed between two pants  
-You have to come as quickly as possible, I don't think we can hold the situation much longer, Reyes added with the sounds of his weapons in the background.  
-Damn it... I'm trying my best but the rising storm is making the driving too hard. You need to head to the art gallery, so I can- AAHH! SorryIcallbacklater ! The connection ended.  
-I hope she's ok..."

After ten more minutes of fire exchange between the two sides, the voice of Genji called his teammates:  
"Commander, I think I've found an easy access to the art gallery. Just join me at my position." He sent this one the others.

"Wait seriously ? Thank god, you're a blessing Genji !  
-Really ? Funny what you said, since I was told the opposite my whole life.  
-What ?  
-Forget about it."

After a few moments, Jesse and Gabriel managed to reach the cellar. Genji explained his discovery.  
"A lot of corridors like this one are connected together, probably for fire evacuations or something. And some of them head to the art gallery and all the buildings around it.  
-That's amazing... the cowboy said with a weak voice."

Plunged into the darkness, the path was only illuminated by a bunch of small light bulbs similar to the few stars lost in the immensity of the universe. The walls made of stone smelled like the sea, due to the humidity coming from the coast.  
The lights shined on Gabriel's face, who looked around him with worries.

"Where's the doctor ? Did you see her ?" The two young man shook their heads.  
"O'Deorian ? O'deorian? Moira ? Do you copy ?", he asked in his comm.  
No answers.

"Reyes ! I'm arriving in Venice air space. But I can only pick you up in the terrace behind the art gallery. Be quick, or we'll be caught in the heart of the storm ! Over !"  
The commander looked to his partners, who waited his decision.  
"Well... We can't do anything for her anymore. You're heard the pilot, let's move to the terrace... Go !"  
The ninja and the cowboy nodded slowly and rushed in the alley as Gabriel waited a moment for their last teammate... in vain.

He caught his two comrades and the group finally arrived in front of a door. Behind, the terrace... and surely new enemy soldiers.

"You're alright Jesse ? You've been limping since we arrived at the cellar, Gabriel noted  
-What ? Oh eh yes, I'm fine...  
-Is that blood ? Wait... You've been shoot !" Genji exclaimed.  
A dark stain spread on the soaked pant of the cowboy as a bullet has embedded in his leg.  
-It... it doesn't hurt so bad ! I'm fine, it's nothing.  
-No it's not !"  
The commander took some bandages from his pocket and wrapped it over the wound.  
"That's the best I can do now..."

The three man stared at the entrance with anxiety. Too many opponents, not enough energy left.  
Genji observed his teammates and noted the exhausted expression of the commander and the pale face of the gunslinger.  
"They won't be able to fight for a long time... I need to clean the place quickly," he thought.

"All the enemies are behind this door. But it's the last home straight. After that, we're free. Are you ready ?" Gabriel asked with a strong voice in order to reassure his team.  
Genji put his hand on his blade and Jesse reloaded with his fingers shaking as the two young men nodded.  
"Ok... In one... two... three !"

"Ryūjin no ken wo kūrae! "  
The door broke and the ninja dashed through the enemy line, cutting the flesh of the opponents.  
With the help of his teammates, he took down half of the Talon forces keeping the place. The dragon blade splat the air in a bright green light and created a breach to a balcony with dressed tables.

Through the hours, giant clouds had covered the whole sky and hide the moon. The rain started to fall at the same time the wind rose and the cold atmosphere strengthened.

The cyborg leaped above the Talon members, ready to finish them... when a red dot appeared between his eyes.

BANG !

**

Jesse's eyes widened as he watched the body of his friend falling on the ground. Without hesitation, he shot in the head of sniper standing on top of a building and jumped in the battle.

The pain in his leg disappeared as the adrenaline flowed in his veins.  
His distress and fear transformed into a violent rage and fury.  
The shots of his Peacemaker and the Hellfire shotguns of Gabriel accompanied the macabre dance executed by the master and the student. In perfect harmony, the two men supported each other and neutralized the rest of the troops without even consulting each other, having a blind trust in their respective abilities.

Suddenly, the world began to spin around the cowboy and the commander caught him just before he collapsed on the ground. Nothing came to break the perfect silence that fell on the battlefield, except the strong blowing wind and the rain drops reaching the earth, more and more abundant each minutes.

"Don't give up now kid, the ship will  be here soon." Jesse slowly nodded, completely frozen and weak. He gave a painful glance to his fallen friend and to the other corpses lying all over the terrace.  
Gabriel followed the look of the gunslinger, slowly horrified by the number of people completely still... their life taken away... by his own hands...

The two remaining members the unit moved away at the speed of a snail when the gunslinger heard the loud noise of a heavy mass approaching them. He pushed the commander away just in time and got pinned by a heavy assault charging at full speed.  
It stopped abruptly near of an edge... and Jesse drowned in the water, stunned.

*

"No..."  
Memories crossed the mind of Gabriel.  
"No..."  
The moment he found Jesse in the Route 66...  
The day he met Genji after one of his operations....  
And  when he proposed to Moira to join Blackwatch...  
"No."  
The look in their eyes... lost, angry, doubtful... but still filled with a bit of hope.

All gone.

"NO !"

The commander walked to the large trooper.  
A dark smoke surrounded him, becoming thicker each time Gabriel took a step.  
Changing into a frightening wraith, he turned around his opponent and got closer and closer to this one like a feline tracking its prey...

And at the moment the thunder and lightning teared the sky, a hurricane of bullets exploded.  
They pierced the armor of the heavy assault who tried in vain to hit the ghost.

When the smoke finally disappeared, Reyes breathed heavily, his eyes mad and colored in red by the high pressured blood.

"COMMANDER!!! Get on the ship right now !!"  
He rose his head, snapping out, and jumped in the vessel that waited him.

The rain continued to fell without end on the earth. Weak thunders could still be heard as the water dragged the blood away, tinting the sea in scarlet tons.

__________

Hours later, the Overwatch agents were all reunited in the huge canteen of the Headquarter with the journalist and their morbid curiosity. All the voices melted into one, asking, praying and blaming.  
On a stage above the crowd, the Strike Commander Morrison tried to calm everyone in order to speak properly.  
He had stayed awake the whole night to find a solution.

"Jack ! Please tell me that can be real !"  
The doctor Ziegler climbed near of the commander with a chocked expression painted on her face.  
"I'm sorry Angela..., he said sadly, shaking his head.  
-No... How... How could this happen ?!"  
The captain Amari took the young lady in her arms and comforted her as they walked away."

"She's right commander! How could we have let so many people died ? Ok they are Talon members but still, they are humans ! a voice screamed  
-And the civil ? A lot of them were injured by the enemies !  
-Did you think about the material damage ? Who's gonna pay for the repairs ?"

Everybody spoke at the same time, making the sound even more loud.  
Gabriel appeared from a door, walked discreetly between the agents and stood next to the Strike Commander.  
"Everyone here, listen. " he took a deep breath and cleared his throat

"As you all know, one of our facilities was destroyed. The responsible: Talon. In retribution, I decided to organize a mission to kidnap of the head of the enemy faction with some of the Blackwatch agents. But the plan didn't go as well as expected. And hard are the consequences for everyone...  
But if there's someone to blame, it's me. I organized this mission by my own, without consulting any member of Overwatch. No one expected me, Jesse, Genji and Moira was aware of it."

All people stopped talking, anxious and troubled.  
"Gabe..." Jack whispered, confused. But Reyes didn't listen to him.

"And... what are you going to do M. Reyes ?, a journalist asked  
-First, all the funds dedicated for the Blackwatch mission will be used for the rebuilding of Venice.  
Second, Blackwatch will be dissolved and their members free to go where they want.  
Third, as soon as the repairs are finished, I'm retiring from my post of commander.  
-I'm sorry what ?!"  
Reyes jumped from the platform and disappeared in the middle of the crowd.

"Gabe ! Wait a second !"  
Morison caught the arm of his friend.  
"Why are you-  
-I failed to protect my teammates. I don't deserve to be commander.", Reyes abruptly cut the man. He looked away with hollow and tired eyes.

"I shouldn't be one in the first place."  
He put his black hood over his head and disappeared in a dark corridor

"Goodbye."

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus: 
> 
> https://aerascreamer.tumblr.com/post/184338823476/an-overwatch-fanfic-eight-years-ago-talon


End file.
